The Small Hairy Horse
by Curious Archer
Summary: On one of Alice's first trips to Robin's farm she is attacked with a series of wild kisses – and not the kind she wished she could get. Robin is surprised that Alice has never seen a dog before and the girls share a short adventure returning him back to his owner in the woods. A cutesy fluffy fic. Curious Archer


Since being free of the tower, Alice experienced new things every day. Whether it was the tallest tree she could climb or the deepest mines she could crawl into or even just the largest lake that she could swim across, Alice was experiencing it all and more. After a lifetime of living in the tower, she was taking advantage of every second she was now out of it. She didn't even sleep under any form of cover, if she could help it. She either found places high up in trees or mountains or in warm open fields, sometimes picking out camp sites that had recently been abandoned since most bandits assumed that there was nothing of interest left in them so for the most part, they remained undisturbed. But no matter where she was, she always slept under the stars and the soft silver glow of the moon as much as possible. However, that was only when she _did_ sleep. Excitement and giddiness kept Alice from getting more than just a few hours each night, which also helped keep her alive in some ways. After all, there were still plenty of thieves and killers roaming the forests at night, just looking for unsuspecting victims to prey on.

Yes, life had been good since Alice had finally escaped her tower. She hadn't had a bad thought about the outside world since, nor a good one of the high room she had grown up in that was settled in the middle of nowhere. In the end that tower was not her home. It was her prison. And now she was free, she would be perfectly happy to see it destroyed beyond recognition. But then that would require her to go back and to actually see it again. And that little idea was not on the list of the things Alice planned to do before she died of a ripe old age, only after living a life of adventure and wonder here in the Enchanted Forest.

Some days Alice felt the urge to go exploring more of the world, and other days she content to relax in beautiful settings and wild habitats and then there were days like today, where she felt the urge to visit friends. Alice didn't have very many friends – a side effect of living her life locked away from the rest of the world – so the ones she did have were very precious to her. Even if they weren't the most typical people you'd think a young woman such as herself would make friends with.

One of her more typical friends, however, owned a farm close by to where she liked to walk. Robin Mills lived with her mother, and she and Alice had met through interesting circumstances to say the least. Ever since then they met up with one another quite frequently, however this was the first time that Alice would be going to Robin's farm on her own. She and Robin had taken walks down there during long days when they had nothing better to do, but Alice had always dropped her off before heading home almost immediately without hovering or waiting to be invited inside. At the time, she had still been awkward around other people, but she was growing much braver as of late and decided to make a bold move on a spontaneous whim. So as of today, it would officially be the first day that Alice would be surprising Robin with a visit. She planned to walk straight through the main gates and, if she was really feeling up to if, then she might even try and seduce an invitation inside the house.

From the second Alice first saw her, she felt something strong for Robin. At first it was just pure lust. After all, Robin was a beautiful – sometimes even a sexy – woman and Alice would be a fool not to notice that during the many hours they frequently spent together. And ever since then, the feelings she had for her began to grow until they turned from simple physical attraction to something more…

This was all new feelings for Alice, so she hadn't told anyone about them. Not even her papa during the rare visits they had with one another. She didn't want to say anything until she understood it enough herself. So, until then she was just going to pretend like being around Robin didn't leave her feeling a weird combination of happy confused and neither did it make her feel just as good, if not better, than her new-found freedom from the tower. The only other person to make her feel that good was her papa but for _very_ different reasons.

Approaching the farm, Alice kept an eye out in case Robin or her mother were about to see her and mistake her for a thief about to make off with one of their animals. Though she had no idea how anyone would even go about getting away with something like that, especially considering who owned the farm, but Robin said there were always people stupid enough to try. Alice didn't think they would mistake her for a common thief, but at the same time, she wasn't sure how they would react, as she had never shown up to their home unannounced before and she didn't want to do anything that might upset them. But despite Alice's nerves, the land around her seemed mostly deserted except for the few animals that she could see from where she stood outside the main gate.

Alice had never seen real animals before escaping her tower. The closest she had come was a picture book her papa brought home to her one day, showing her all kinds of animals that you got in farms like pigs and cows and horses and chickens. He had tried to describe other animals to her, like cats and fish and whales and dolphins, and all the birds that passed overhead in the sky when he was on his ship, but for the most part Alice found she couldn't picture them to the extent that she knew they could be. So, when she found out that Robin lived on a farm, she was more than a little excited to see it for herself.

Now that she was up close, she couldn't resist pausing in her search for Robin to instead look down at the fat pigs snorting loudly to her left. Once again checking that there was no one to take offense to her approach, Alice opened the gates and slipped inside, walking over to the pig's pen and looking down at them, smiling at the way the younger ones cuddled up against their parents, while others stumbled over to their bowls for a sloppy meal. It was amusing, and Alice giggled down as she watched them, leaning forward against the gate.

What happened next happened so fast that Alice didn't have any time to defend herself. One minute she was standing, leaning over the pigs, the next something hit her from the side and she was knocked to the ground. She hit the dirt hard and before she had a chance to recover, something large was on top of her, a rough wet tongue overlapping her face and neck and even catching the bare parts of her collar bone and shoulders. It was such a shock that she was screaming before she even realised she wasn't in any danger.

Alice pushed her hands up and into a thick wad of stringy fur. When she pushed the creature away enough that she could see it, she found herself looking at the strangest animal she had ever seen. It was like a tiny hairy horse or something.

"Alice!"

Robin appeared in the distance, running down towards them with her arrow notched in her bow, hurrying as quickly as she could with an expression on her face that was both worried and angry at the same time. However, she stopped short when she saw Alice struggling to push the animal off of her and blinked, taken by surprise for just a short moment at the sight of them before she swung her arrow and bow into place on her back and shoulder and continued her run over. Together the two girls managed to push and pull the animal off Alice, dragging him back a few steps as Alice rolled quickly back onto her feet.

"What is that?!" Alice demanded, gasping for breath and wiping the drool off the sides of her face.

Robin had managed to calm the animal down by running her hands over his head and back, roughly stroking him, so much that her fingers tangled in his thick fur and she had to repeatedly pause to free herself or risk putting it right off. Part of her still felt the after effects of hearing Alice scream, including a frantically beating heart and a knot in her stomach, but she still found herself grinning to see Alice looking so startled with her hair tangled from where she had been rolling on the ground. On top of that little amusement, it had been a long while since Robin had seen a dog. According to her mother and aunt, they were a rarity here in the Enchanted Forest.

"I think it's an English Sheepdog…" Robin said slowly, squinting at him before letting out a squeal of laughter when he turned to give her face a lick. "Yeah, I'm sure that's it."

"An English Sheepdog?" Alice blinked, frowning down at her. "I didn't know there was more than one kind of sheep…"

Robin paused, mid stroke of the dogs long white and grey fur. She stood up, keeping a hand on the animal's head to keep him from jumping up at either of them again. "Alice… Have you never seen a dog before?"

"No." Alice admitted. So, it wasn't a sheep, then? "There weren't in any of the books that papa brought me."

"Oh," Robin grinned and led the dog over to Alice, still keeping a firm hand on his back the whole time so he didn't surprise her again. "Well, this here is a dog! And there are different kinds of dogs and they all have individual names but, well, this one is called an English Sheepdog." She explained. She never knew how difficult it was explaining a dog to someone until she tried to.

"So… It's a Sheepdog… And a dog?" Alice asked, eyeing the animal warily.

"Yup. It's like, they're called dogs, but they have sub categories about what kind of dogs they are." Robin went on, kneeling beside the animal and scratching behind his ears. "I personally like King Charles Spaniels the best but this guy's pretty cute too." She grinned up at her. "You can get aggressive dogs, so you have to be careful, but this guy seems pretty friendly. I think he just wanted to say hello."

Alice hesitated, then moved to stand on the other side of him. She reached down slowly and copied Robin's hand movements so that she was also stroking the dog behind his ear like she was. Almost immediately he dropped down to the ground and rolled so his stomach was facing upwards and his paws were bent in the air above him, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth as he twisted his head to look up at the two girls happily. The white fur fell in front of his face but under the messy strands, Alice could just about see a pair of large wide eyes watching her closely.

"He really likes you." Robin laughed, scratching the dogs stomach. "See," She pointed towards where a thick furry tail was sweeping back and forth, kicking up dirt and dust like a broom. "When they wag their tail like that, it means they're happy." She looked down at his face. "Though I am surprised, I heard that this kind of dog normally has docked tails."

"What does that mean?" Alice blinked.

"Uh, it's something to do with cutting them short." Robin explained with a slight frown. "But I'm not sure about the details."

"Cutting their tails short? Doesn't that hurt?" Alice said nervously.

"I'm not sure how it's done." Robin admitted. "I think they make it, so it doesn't hurt them." She lied. Really, she had no idea, but she hoped it was done humanely.

Alice turned thoughtfully back to the dog, staring down at his exposed stomach. Now that the initial shock had passed, Alice noted that he did look pretty sweet, staring up at her with a big dopey smile on his face. She dropped to her knees and used both hands to stroke him now, a little bit enthusiastically but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, just like that, his tail began to move even faster, and Alice giggled down at him.

"You know a lot about dogs," Alice noted, looking up at Robin.

"Well, back in Storybrooke, you'd be surprised how much is just common knowledge." Robin explained. "Plus, I always wanted a dog. I'd hoped once we got a farm that we might get one – these types of dogs are used a lot for herding other animals. But they're so rare here, mum never bothered."

"He's sweet." Alice beamed.

"I wonder if he has an owner." Robin said, feeling along the dog's head.

"What are you looking for?" Alice asked.

"Back in Storybrooke, people gave their dogs collars. Sometimes with name tags and stuff. So, if they went missing then someone could see it has an owner and help them find a way back home." Robin went on, then sat back on her heels. "I can't find one. But there are different rules here, so it could still have an owner. He's pretty well behaved and well fed for a wild animal."

"How do we find his owner?" Alice asked, suddenly looking worried. If this dog had a home, then he should return to it as soon as possible.

"Normally dogs are pretty good for finding their way home… Or the trained ones are, at least." Robin shrugged, standing. "Tell you what, why don't we take him for a walk down through the woods and see if we can't help him find his way back?"

"You think that will work?" Alice asked, chewing her lip, all the while still stroking the dogs stomach, though now more cautiously.

"Worth a shot." Robin shrugged. "If you're busy I could do it on my own-"

"I'm not busy." Alice said quickly.

Robin smiled at her and butterflies knotted around in Alice's stomach – but almost like in a good way. She found herself grinning back up at her and temporarily forgetting to stroke the dog. She remembered a second later when he stood and pushed a dark wet nose against her neck. It was cold and caused Alice to squeal aloud, no longer afraid of his affectionate cuddling, and giggled as his fur tickled along her chin and under her ears just before he began to lick her again.

She pushed him back once more, standing and looking up to Robin again. Now that things had calmed down, she realised Robin had run out to her while only half dressed for whatever reason. She had on white leggings and a white under shirt but was missing her usual green cloak and brown leather vest and her brown hunting trousers. She didn't even have any shoes or socks on her feet and toes twitched slightly against the cold uneven ground.

"Did I pull you away?" Alice teased.

Robin's cheeks turned pink and she took a small step back. "Uh, yeah, I'll be right back."

Alice giggled, watching Robin turn and jog back in direction of the house. After she had disappeared, Alice turned back to the dog. He had sat back for a moment and was watching her with the slightest head tilt, like he didn't understand what was happening.

"She came running for me." Alice explained, feeling ridiculously proud. Then she dropped to her knees and began scratching his ears and head like Robin had been doing earlier, pleased when she got a positive reaction from it.

 **O*U*A*T**

A few minutes later, once Robin had returned (now fully dressed) she led the way out of the gates, locking them behind her and leading them down the path that she normally took towards town. At first, once he got going, it seemed like the dog was going to leave them behind and disappear out of sight. He bound ahead and over a slight dip in their path that was the start of a hill so that his whole body vanished from a moment only to come running back a few seconds later, looping around the girls and jumping at them until they each tickled his ear and chin before once again running ahead. He did this three times, one after another, and each time was just as amusing as the last.

"He's got so much energy." Alice laughed.

"Yeah, I'll bet he's really excited." Robin grinned. She had her bow in hand and her arrows resting over her back; a girl always prepared for the worst. "So, what brought you round this morning?"

"Oh, I just wanted to see you." Alice said, then shrugged. "I mean, see if you wanted to go for a walk or something."

Robin nodded. "Did you get to the farm okay?"

"Yeah. It was easy." Alice lied. It had taken her three wrong turns before she found the path Robin had told her to look out for.

"Good." Robin nudged her. "I'd hate for you to get lost."

Alice fought the urge to blush. "So, tell me more about dogs!" She said quickly. "I really like this one. Are they all like him?"

"Well, like I said, you can get some that can be mean. But they're like people. There are good people, and bad people. Good dogs, and bad dogs. There are dogs who can be excitable and there are dogs who can be shy. Some can be trained, others can be a little more stubborn." Robin explained. "Actually, I almost thought the dog was attacking you when I heard you scream and ran over, but when I reached you, I guessed he was just playing around. You can normally tell a lot by just the way they hold themselves and their body language. I'll teach you it all if you'd like."

"If he was attaching me. Would you have killed him?" Alice asked, remembering how her bow and arrow had been set and ready to launch.

"Yes." Robin said without hesitation.

"Really?" For some reason the idea of someone hurting a dog like this one, even Robin, was upsetting.

"I wouldn't have liked it… But sometimes animals need to be put down. Especially if they're hurting your friends." Robin shrugged. "It's not a nice thought but sometimes it can't be helped."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't have to put him down." Alice said, after a moment of gloomy silence. "He's really sweet."

"He is!" Robin grinned happily, then winked at her. "Hey, you wanna see something fun?"

"Fun?" Alice blinked.

Robin scooped up the thickest stick from the side of the road. "This is how a lot of people play with their dogs." She explained, positioning the stick against her bow. She didn't quite pull it back as far as she would if it was an arrow, and after a second, she whistled loudly. The dog came running back towards them again and Robin released the stick just before he reached them. It flew through the air and promptly the dog bound back after it, barely pausing long enough to turn around so his fuzzy paws skidded and kicked up dust from the dirt road.

Alice laughed as he came running back to them a few seconds later with the stick in his mouth, jumping around them as excitedly as a puppy. When Robin reached for the stick, he jumped away from her, running around before coming close, only to duck as she tried once more to take it. On the third time she managed to get a hold of one end and while he refused to let go, Alice could see, even though the matt of fur falling down over his face, that the dog was having the time of his life. And in return, so was Alice! She hadn't even known what a dog was this morning but now, she wished she had a dozen of them like Robin and her mum had a dozen pigs and sheep back on the farm.

"You wanna try?" Robin asked after the dog brought the stick back them a fourth time.

"Can I?" Alice asked excitedly.

"Go ahead!" Robin laughed.

Alice turned to where the dog was hunched over, wiggling his bottom in the air with the stick still between its jaw, looking up at her (or she assumed so – how could he see with so much long fur in the way?) and waiting patiently for her. But when Alice reached down for the stick, he dived away.

Alice heard Robin laughing loudly behind her. "You're going to have to be a lot faster than that."

"Alright then," Alice said, pushing up her sleeves to the elbow and jumping forward. She made a grab for the stick, but the dog ducked under her arms and ran around her legs. She found herself spinning in circles trying to get him but every time she had him cornered, he easily slipped between a gap that seemed so much smaller than he should fit through.

"Need a hand?" Robin giggled.

"Yes, please." Alice shouted, still trying to chase the dog around in circles.

Robin tucked her bow over her shoulder and made her own dive for the dog. She had better luck than Alice, and if she hadn't been laughing so much then she probably could have caught him with ease, but as she couldn't stop the giggles, she found she was stumbling and missing just as much as Alice was. The two girls were running in circles, trying to block the dogs exit off only for him to slip away each time. And for the chase, the dog seemed at his most happy, pleased that everyone was playing the game with him now.

After a while Alice and Robin began to run out of breath. They gasped and clutched their sides, still laughing as the dog bounced in between them, daring them to try and make another grab for him long after they had slowed to a stop. Robin and Alice both tried a half-hearted grab for him a few times and ended up falling against each other for support, still laughing as they dropped to their knees to catch their breath. The dog watched them for a moment before dropping the stick and running over, slobbering wet kisses all over Robin's face and then going to do the same for Alice. They pushed him off, still laughing as they stroked his long-tangled fur to keep him happy as they both continued to pant harshly until they had their breath back long enough to talk.

When they had finally stopped laughing after an unknown amount of time had passed, they climbed shakily to their feet and Alice dived for the stick, snatching it up before the dog had a chance to react. The dog caught sight of her and barely had a chance to run at her feet before she was throwing it as hard as she could back up the way they were heading. And just like that, the dog was off, running away for the stick with all the energy in the world.

"I keep calling him 'the dog' in my head." Alice said suddenly. Even now she was still breathing hard and her face was beginning to ache as she tried talking through her constant smile. "He needs a name."

"He probably has one, but we can pick something out until we find his owner. What do you want to call him?" Robin said, sounding as winded as Alice.

"I can name him?" Alice blinked.

"Why not? I have a whole farm of animals I can name." Robin joked.

Alice watched as the dog came bounding back over to them. He continued trying to tease them with his stick but when neither girl gave in to the game he dropped the wooden object at their feet and continued running ahead and coming back again, almost like he was encouraging them to keep moving.

"What's a typical dog name?" Alice asked.

"Whatever you can think of!" Robin said, waving her arms out dramatically before she began listing names off the top of her head. "Scruffy, Rover, Scooby, Marley." She waved her hands again. "You can name him whatever comes to mind."

Alice stared at her then smirked and said. "Well then… I think he reminds me of a Robin."

"Oh really?" Robin said, raising an eyebrow immediately. "And why is that? Do you know a lot of Robin's who have messy hair and pant a lot, running around with sticks in their mouth, giving soggy kisses to every stranger they meet?"

"Actually, I was thinking because he's so sweet. And fun. And makes me laugh! And cute." Alice beamed.

Robin stared at her, then asked quietly. "You think I'm cute?"

Alice froze and turned away quickly. "I said _a_ Robin. That doesn't necessarily mean you." She said, trying to sound casual and wishing the obvious heat would leave her face.

"Who else do you know that's called Robin?" She challenged playfully.

Alice hesitated again, then shrugged and waved as the dog once again returned to them. "Him, of course."

The younger girl let out another short laugh and nodded. "Okay. Fine. I said you could name him so name him whatever you want."

"Robin, it is." Alice teased.

"Fine, but I'm going to call him RJ instead." She winked. "For Robin Junior."

"Okay." Alice said, not looking at her, but there was a not so subtle grin on her face and a shine in the corner of her eye.

She started to walk, not paying attention to what was in front of her – still too busy thinking about the wink when Robin suddenly grabbed her hand. "Wait. Look!" She said, pointing ahead of them.

The dog, newly named RJ, was pausing a little way in the middle of the path, turning and sniffing the air before diving in between the trees for the first time. The girls glanced at one another shortly before they broke into a run and followed him as quickly as they could before he got too far. It didn't take them long to catch up once RJ slowed down his pace and began to wander along, sniffing the whole way like he could smell something familiar and was following the trail, twisting left and right at odd turns but walking in the same general direction, deeper into the woods.

"Told you he'd find his way home." Robin said proudly.

"I never doubted you." Alice said. She glanced down then asked shyly; "You gonna let go or…?"

Robin realised she was still holding onto Alice's hand and let go sharply. She smiled at her and half shrugged like it was no big deal. But the fact that she didn't quite look Alice in the eye when she did, told Alice that Robin wasn't nearly as confident as she liked to pretend she was.

That was so sweet.

 **O*U*A*T**

Time was passing quickly, if only because the two girls found themselves enjoying the walk a lot more with the added member to entertain them along the way. RJ continued to be a delight, so excitable and easily entertained that it was impossible not laugh when he got pieces of broken leaves stuck on his face mid sniff. Along the way, Robin paused in their search to check to see if RJ knew any simple commands or cute little tricks. It turned out he knew a lot, and it was the first time that Alice had ever seen an animal that would sit, roll over, or lay down upon command. Afterwards, she also filled Alice in with some random facts she knew about dogs, including naming as many breeds as she could think of and describing them to the best of her abilities. Much like her papa had done for the animals they couldn't find in the picture book.

"And this is just common knowledge?" Alice asked, amazed. It sounded like there was just so much detailed information, she didn't see how so many people could possibly know it as just some off handed thing.

"Well, not everyone knows it all. But I think most people can name dogs like Dalmatians and Golden Retrievers and stuff." Robin explained. "They're pretty popular back in the other world."

"Dalmatians are the spotty ones, right?" Alice asked.

"For the most part." Robin nodded. "Some dogs are cross bred so they're like two different breeds mixed together."

"That sounds vaguely horrific." Alice mumbled, imagining a malformed animal forcibly mixed with another.

"It's not really." Robin grinned. "In fact, some of them can be really adorable."

"I wish I could see them." Alice said wistfully.

Robin hesitated then said softly. "Maybe you can. One day I mean. Magic beans are rare but if I ever find some that will let me visit everyone back in Storybrooke, I'll take you with me. I'll show you all the dog breeds and some other cool stuff too."

"Other stuff like what?" Alice asked.

"Like how about a zoo? There are hundreds of animals all over the world that you've never seen but you'd be able to if we could go to a zoo." Robin explained. "Things like lions and eagles and gorillas and all kinds of reptiles."

"I've see a lion." Alice noted. She'd never heard of the middle two, however, and was unsure about the last one.

Before Alice could respond, RJ suddenly stopped mid step and began to growl. Alice may not know dogs, but she recognised that sound well enough and immediately tensed, reaching for the dagger she kept hidden at her side. At the same time, Robin dropped her bow back into her hand and slipped an arrow into place against its frame, lifting it up and aiming at the unknown threat in the shadows in front of them.

No one moved, not even RJ though he continued to growl, which seemed so much louder in the dull silence of the woods, echoing slightly in the open space. A moment later, a wolf stepped out from behind one of the trees. It was full grown and had its lips pulled back in a threatening snarl. It also had a nasty cut along its back leg that was causing it to limp but that did nothing to lessen the frightening affect it had on the others, nor the angry expression on his face. It moved forward, creeping towards them with its bright eyes fixed on RJ and the girls. Alice also noted how skinny it was. Its injury looked fresh, but she had a feeling it was older and possibly had caused him to suffer, unable to hunt which was why he was as skinny as it was.

"Back off, wolf." Robin mumbled, taking a slow step forward so she was standing beside RJ's head.

"Can you scare him off?" Alice asked, pulling out her knife and moving closer so she could assist if needed.

"No. Look into his eyes. This wolf's gone mad. Probably had an infection in that leg of his, which is why it hasn't healed properly." Robin explained.

"You can tell all that just from his eyes?" Alice blinked.

"I've had many years hunting animals." Robin said, never taking her eyes off of the wolf. "You get to know the signs after a while."

RJ growled loudly, but he also took a step back. He was a dog used for herding, not fighting. He may be putting up a brave front, but the poor thing was probably as scared as Alice was. In fact, the only thing keeping Alice from being truly frightened, was how calm and confident Robin appeared. She trusted that Robin knew what she was doing, at least.

"Are you going to kill it?" Alice asked, not wanting to distract her but unable to keep quiet. The wolf was crouching towards them, still glaring and snarling with sharp drool covered fangs in between its jaw.

"Yes." Robin said, just as bluntly as before.

Alice wanted to ask what she was waiting for but forced herself to bite her tongue. Instead she shuffled forward so she was by RJ, so she too could defend him if the wolf made a move forward. This wasn't her first time seeing a wild animal, nor was it the first time said animal had made threatening moves towards her. But no matter how many times she faced them, a life time of shelter inside her tower prison meant that she still felt the same fear clench her stomach each and every time.

The wolf looked up from RJ, towards Robin and then Alice. It seemed to be making up his mind on which one he would go for, either ignoring or simply not recognising the weapons both girls had in hand. Now that she was looking, Alice realised she could see the madness that Robin had been talking about. Its eyes were unfocussed, even for an animal, and they twitched constantly, looking back and forth, not because it was trying to pick a target but rather, because its mind couldn't concentrate on just one object. Alice had a feeling that, if the wolf had been a human, he'd be sweating through his clothes and gibbering madly.

Without warning the wolf jumped. It launched itself straight towards RJ (probably thinking it would be the easiest due to his small size) with a loud growl that startled even Alice. So much so, that she found herself frozen and unable to do anything to protect RJ like she had originally intended.

Luckily Robin didn't freeze. In a swift motion, she turned her bow to follow the wolf as it jumped and released the arrow. It shot through the air and pierced the wolf directly in his chest, causing him to collapse in a heap at their feet. It all happened in a matter of seconds and Alice realised she was holding her breath only when it was over, and she gasped loudly, taking a small step back as she looked down at the wolf's body, now nothing more than a limp corpse. The arrow seemed to have pierced the wolf's head directly, leaving on a small amount of blood trailing from the direct hole Robin had made.

"Sorry," Robin said, walking over and pulling her arrow free. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just like to make my kills clean. Especially when I'm putting something out of its misery."

"That's okay." Alice said quickly. "I wasn't scared."

RJ barked, as if to agree. He hadn't been scared either.

"Good," Robin smiled, throwing her bow back over her shoulders.

Alice paused. "Um. Should we bury him?" Alice asked, looking down at the wolf.

"Not much point. Leave him to the other animals." Robin shrugged.

"To eat?" Alice cringed.

"Natural order." Robin explained. "Even if he's not food for some other animal, since they could smell the infection on his leg and go for something else, he'll rot and become food for the earth. As it should be."

"So why not bury him then?" Alice pressed.

"Other animals will smell him. Some will probably be desperate enough to dig him up, so, like I said, not much point." Robin said casually. "It'd just be a waste of our time."

Alice found herself staring at Robin. She was amazed by just how much one girl could know. She made it seem like everything was just casual information, things most people knew, but at the same time, the way she spoke made it sound like she was a professor in all things animal and nature.

Smart and pretty. Some girls just had it all.

"Sorry," Robin said suddenly, noticing Alice staring. "I'm being too blunt."

"No, I'm just… Constantly amazed by you." Alice admitted, smiling at her then added quickly. "I mean, amazed by what you know. I hope you can teach me some."

"I'm sure I can give you a few pointers." Robin grinned.

Suddenly RJ jumped at Robin, putting his paws against her chest and licking her neck and chin when she ducked slightly. She squealed in surprise, taking a sharp step back to avoid toppling over.

Alice laughed aloud. "I don't think RJ likes being out of the conversation."

"Attention hog," Robin said affectionately, scratching his back before waving a hand. "Well go on. Danger's gone. Lead the way back to your master."

With that half-hearted command, RJ turned and started running again. Alice and Robin followed behind, both making a point of not looking down at the wolf corpse as they moved around it. Alice still felt funny about just leaving it there. Especially when she thought back to what Robin said about animals leaving him because of the infection on his leg – what if the animal didn't and then got sick? But at the same time, she truly did trust Robin, so she pushed the worries out and focussed on keeping up with RJ instead, who was moving even faster than before now.

"I think we're getting close." Robin said, jumping a fallen log and turning to hold a hand out for Alice.

She didn't need it. Her travels had done her a lot of good, but even before that Alice had climbed around the inside of her tower room like it was a jungle gym for children. But she still found she happily accepted the offered hand, and the needless assistance to climb the log and jump down again before they continued the quick stroll after RJ.

"I'm gonna be sad leaving him with his owner." Alice admitted. "I really like having him around."

"So, you're officially a dog person," Robin grinned, then sighed. "But yeah. Me too. It may not have been for very long, but I'm already attached to RJ. I think I might try convincing mum to find a dog again. Now that we've settled down here, she might even listen."

"Can't she just wave her hand and make one appear?" Alice asked.

"Well, unless she literally steals a dog from someone else, it wouldn't be real." Robin sighed.

Alice sighed with her. "I wish she could just magic a real dog to life. It might be nice having a companion in my travels."

Robin glanced at her. She looked like she was going to say something but before she could, RJ came bounding back and jumped her. This time Robin wasn't quite able to keep her balance and was knocked right over, RJ landing heavily on top of her and lapping at her face so much that she almost felt like she was drowning under his slobber.

Instantly, while Robin tried to push RJ off, Alice stood back and watched with a laugh. She knew she should help, but it wasn't often that Robin was left caught off guard and defenceless so, for the moment, Alice was going to enjoy it.

Finally, she leaned over, putting her hands on her knees. "Need a hand?" She asked innocently. Robin had managed to push RJ back, so he could no longer lick every inch of her face, but he was still stubbornly refusing to get off.

"Oh no," Robin said with a sarcastic grin. "I'm fine! This happens all the time. Boys can't help themselves."

A part of Alice giggled, but another part felt her stomach knot. Did guys really chase after her? The idea bothered Alice way more than she was willing to admit.

"BAYARD!"

RJ jumped off of Robin and turned to greet a tall bulky man dressed in a series of furs and leathers. He had a sharp dagger against his hip and a series of arrows resting over his back with a bow in hand that was twice the size of Robin's and not nearly as well taken care of – it was chipped and scratched and roughly put together. He had a thick beard and long black hair, but his eyes were friendly, and his booming voice sounded like one who spent many days laughing rather than shouting at people.

Alice reached down, helping Robin climb to her feet and using her sleeve to help wipe some of the drool left over on her cheeks. When they cleaned up they saw RJ sitting patiently at the man's feet as he stroked the side of his face affectionately.

"I've been looking all over for you, Bayard." The man said.

"Bayard?" Alice blinked.

"Told you he probably already had a name." Robin grinned. She nudged Alice gently and lowered her voice "I personally like your name better."

The man looked up, as if first noticing them. "Did these kind young ladies go through the trouble to bring you back to me?"

Robin immediately stepped forward. "No trouble. Actually, it was a lot of fun." She grinned at him. "My friend hasn't seen a dog before, so it was a good experience for her."

"Well they're rare around these parts." The man explained, standing. "Thank you, for looking after him. He'd a good boy but has a habit of running off when he gets excited. He always finds his way back eventually, but I worry about that one day when something will happen… I'd like to repay you if I can." He reached into his pocket.

"Oh, we can't accept anything. Like I said, we enjoyed his company." Robin reached down, scratching RJ- or rather, Bayard's head one last time. "Makes us both want one of our own."

"Well, sadly, he's the only one I have," The man said. "And I'm lucky to even have him. It's a sad story I'm afraid and I won't upset you with the details but I'd still like to thank you. Not many people would have gone through the trouble."

"I can imagine." Alice said quietly. If dogs where are rare as they both kept saying, she could see anyone who managed to stumble across one might not have the most honourable intentions.

"Well if you won't accept anything, at least take my thanks," The man said. "Maybe one day we'll meet again, and I can repay you properly."

"You never know," Robin beamed. "I find we tend to run into familiar faces more than we even realise."

"The name's Borrick. But most people just call me the Huntsman." He said with a grin. "Not a nickname I love but it's accurate enough."

"I'm Robin, and this is my friend; Alice." Robin said as she reached out to shake Borrick's hand while Alice hung back, still a little unsure.

Unfortunately, they couldn't have a real conversation. Now that he had his furry friend back, Borrick explained that he had to head home before the campsite he had left to find Bayard was ransacked. He did, however give them a moment so Alice and Robin could say their goodbyes to their new four-legged friend. They turned back to Bayard, each reaching down to give him one last stroke as he returned it with a wet kiss on their cheeks and chin, even letting them cuddle into his thick soft fur one last time before they stepped back and watched as Bayard and his owner turned and started back in the direction of temporary home. Robin noted how much calmer Bayard was now that he was by Borrick's side, no longer running in hysterics like he had with them.

For some reason Alice felt they were saying goodbye to an old and familiar friend. She'd only met Bayard a few hours ago and she was strangely miserable to see him go. Robin seemed to understand, and she silently reached down, taking Alice's hand and lacing their fingers together with a soft smile. They both knew the chances of finding another dog was slim, let alone actually owning one themselves, but they could still dream of it. And who knows, weirder things had happened for both of them in life.

"Come on," Robin said, tugging gently to guide Alice back the way they came. "Come have lunch at mine."

"Are you sure?" Alice asked, noting that even when she began to walk, Robin didn't let go of her hand.

"Yeah. I've already lost my dog, I'm not losing you, too." Robin joked.

It was just a joke. Yet, somehow, Alice still felt like Robin had just made a promise. And she planned to hold her to it.

* * *

 _In case it wasn't obvious, The Huntsman (Borrick) is meant to be an alternative version of Graham._

 _But anyway, this was a prompt I got on Tumblr! My first one and I have to admit, I was pretty flattered to be asked!_  
 _So, tell me what you think!_


End file.
